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Point Reyes National Seashore and North District Golden Gate National Recreation Area General Management Plan Amendment and Environmental Impact Statement
Point Reyes National Seashore » Point Reyes National Seashore and North District Golden Gate National Recreation Area General Management Plan Amendment and Environmental Impact Statement » Document List
Point Reyes National Seashore has announced a Revised Record of Decision (ROD) for the General Management Plan Amendment and Environmental Impact Statement (GMPA) for Point Reyes National Seashore and the north district of Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The GMPA provides management guidance for the preservation of natural and cultural resources and the management of infrastructure and visitor use in the planning area. The plan also addresses the management of native tule elk and park lands currently leased for ranching.
The National Park Service (NPS) also announced a settlement agreement resolving litigation filed in 2022 challenging the GMPA.
The NPS issued the Revised ROD in light of the private, voluntary ranch closure agreements between The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the operators of six dairy and six beef ranches in Point Reyes. Under these agreements, ranchers will cease operations within 15 months and surrender their leases in exchange for compensation from TNC.
Under the selected action for the Revised ROD, the NPS will manage closing ranch lands as part of the Scenic Landscape zone which prioritizes resource conservation activities. To support conservation efforts, the NPS will issue a cooperative agreement and lease option to TNC enabling TNC and NPS to collaborate on natural resource restoration projects on lands where ranching will end. The selected action also authorizes ranching to continue in the GMPA's Ranchland zone, and the NPS has issued 20-year leases to seven beef ranch families in the north district of Golden Gate. The NPS will also negotiate long-term leases for the two remaining beef ranches at Point Reyes. The selected action benefits native tule elk by providing increased habitat and disallowing lethal management of the tule elk population. Tule elk will be managed as one herd in Point Reyes, and elk will be allowed to expand within the park.
Under the General Agreement for a government-to-government partnership, Point Reyes National Seashore consulted and collaborated with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria (FIGR), the only federally recognized tribe, during the GMPA planning process. The NPS will work with FIGR through enhanced collaboration and partnership during the implementation of the Revised ROD. As undertakings are identified, the NPS will consult and coordinate activities with FIGR as described in the General Agreement.
Click "Document List" on the left side of the page to view the Revised ROD and other GMPA documents.
Contact Information
Melanie GunnOutreach Coordinator
(415) 464-5131